Improvement in governors for steam-engines



' To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATE- NT OFFICE.

MARTIN W. SHAPLEY, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GovERNoRs FOR STEAM-ENGINES..

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. l73,069, dated February1, 1876; application tiled October l2, 1875.

Be it known that I, MARTIN W. SIMPLES', of Binghamton, in the coun'ty'ofBroome and State of New York, have invented an 'Improved Governor forSteam-Engines, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to a governor for Steam-engines to regulate theadmission of steam to lthe cylinder, to maintain speed of the engine ata uniform velocity.

My invention consists in a governor provided with ahorizontally-rotating shaft to which are'connected weighted levers orarms geared together, so that the movement of the.. arms, caused bycentrifugal action will be in harmony. Also, in the combination withsuch weighted arms and their carrying-shaft of two sliding shafts and aspringacting to throw the sliding shafts in a direction opposite tothatin which the weighted arms will move such "shafts, when, by centrifugalaction, the arms move away from their carrying-shaft. Also, in thecombination of the horizontally-rotating shaft and its arms and thesliding shafts, with sliding valves to open and close the steam-passageto the steam-cylinder,substa11 tially as described.

Figure 1 shows this improved governor in side view, and Fig. 2 insection; and Fig. 3 shows an end view, with the disk removed.

'lhe governor is placed in any well-known or desired position betweenthe steam-supplying source and the cylinder of the engine. The steam,entering at the opening a, passes through passages or ways in a circularor loop-- like frame, b, shown in edge view, Fig. l, and in section,Fig. 2, into passages in the enlargements c, one on each side ot' theframe, (see dotted arrows, Fig. 2,) passing from the .ends of thesepassages c into spaces din the'valvechest e,-from which it passesthrough openings f in the cylindrical valves g, and out through the openfree ends of the cylindrical valves into the space h, from which itpasses through suitable pipes or iconnections to the usual steam-chestand valve mechanismof the steamengine cylinder. Attached to theloop-like frameywhich is of cast metal in the form of a circular pipeand provided with an open interior or space (see Fig. 3) to receive thegovernor-arms are secured, by means of screws i,

' cup-like or spherical disks j 7s. The screws pass' through flanges ofthe disks, vand projecting from the central portions of the disks arebearings j k that sustain a vhollow shaft, l, having attached at one enda pulley, m, which receives the belt for imparting motion to thegovernor-shaft in the usual way. This hollow shaft is provided withprojecting earsV n vat each iside' of its center to sustain the pivotso, on which are hung the weightedarms p, made as elbow-levers. The ends1 of the weighted arms extend through longitudinal slots in the shaft l,and into openings in sliding shaftsq, v'and-their ends 2, which areheavy and segmental, are provided with teeth or gear on their faces,(see Fig. 2,) and the gear on-one segmental part meets the gear on theopposite segmental part. In the shaft l are placed bearings rltosustainthe shafts q, the interior ends of the shafts having, in this instance,en-` larged heads to fit the interior of the shaft l, and having, also,slots'to receive the ends l of arms p; and between' the ends of shaftsq, and within the shaft l, is placed a spiral or other spring, s. Thevalves g are shown Vas cylindrical shells attached to valve-stems tfitted to move in stuing-boxes u in heads o, fitted, in this instance,by screw-threads, into the ends of the valve-chest e.

These cylindrical valves rest in bearings w, in

the chest, have passages fthrough which steam in the passages d passes,issuing from the open free ends of these cylindrical valves (as shown bythe arrows) near such ends, Fig. 2, and the position of these valve endswith relation to each other controls the quantity of steam issu ingtherefrom intothe valve-chestof the steamengine. lf these ends 'arewidely separated the steam passes in .full volume, and if the ends ofthe valves are brought close together the flow of steamv will beentirely cut olf and the engine stopped. the 1valves will not be broughtclosely together,

but a small space. will be left, so as to keep the engine in motion.

In their normal position, the weighted arms rest withtheir heavy ends incontact, or substantially so, with the shaft l, they being, in ameasure, vheld in this position by the pressure of the spiral spring son the ends of shafts g,

which, actingon the ends t of the arms, hold`- In practice, the ends ofthem in toward the shaft, and, when in this position, the shaft Z beingstationary, the ends of valves g are placed at such a distance apart aswill permit the passage of the amount wof steam necessary to allow theengine to work at the desired speed, and this quantity of steam can beregulated byadjusting the position of the valves.

To adjust the valves, loosen the set-screws a: in the connectors y, andwhenin-proper position tighten the same on the valve-stems t. Theseconnectorsy extendfrom the valve-stems t, vand t between collars on thesliding-shafts q. Now, as long as the engine moves at the proper speed,the shafts Z and q, as they are rotated through the pulley on, willthrow out the ends 2 of the weighted arms by centrifugal action only sofar as to maintain the ends of valves g at the proper distance apart 5but should the speed of the engine become too great, or in excess rofthat required, then the more rapid rotation ofthe shaft Z will cause theweighted ends of the arms p to jy so far away from the center of theirmotion, or from shaft l, that their ends 1 will draw the inner ends ofshafts q toward each other and compress the spring s, and, through theconnections y with the valve-stems, will move the ends of the valves geach toward the other, and close the size of the steam-passage, therebyreducing the speed to the proper point. The shafts q are always movedequal distances by the action of the weighted arms, for each arm mustmove the same distance as the other, owing to their heilig connected, asdescribed, and being geared together, as shown, it is possible to usethe Weighted arms on a governor having a horizontal shaft. If the armshad not gear-teeth they would act each set in opposition to the other.

This governor will run either side or end up.

I do not intend to limit this invention to the exact devices shown, astheform of the parts A might be modified or changed without departingfrom the invention described. The weighted arms are contained within thespherical shells and within the annular ring b, and are out of' sightand reach, so they cannot be clogged.

Other connections than the particular gear- 4teeth shown might beemployed to cause the weighted arms to move in unison.

Instead of the disks, I might use arms projecting from the loop-likeframe to sustain bearings for the shaft Z.

l. rllhe rotating shaft l, in combination with weighted levers gearedtogether at their weighted ends, substantially as described.

2. The rotating shaft Z and weighted and geared arms, in combinationwith sliding shafts and a spring adapted to rotate with the shaft l, andto operate substantially as described.

3. The rotating shaft, the weighted arms carried by the shaft, and thesliding shafts and spring adapted to be operated by the arms, incombination with the valves, valve-rods, valvechest, and connectionsbetween the valve-rods and sliding shafts, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the sliding and rotat-` ing shafts q with theconnectors, the valves, valve-rods, and adjusting devices, to confinethe valve-rods in adjusted position with relation to the shaftslq,substantially as described..

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN W. SHAPLEY. p Witnesses:

PERRY P. ROGERS, J oHN P. WoRTHnve.

